Smith header gives Bayswater NPLM Top Four Cup
Bayswater City will head into the Australian Championship on a high after adding the NPLM Top Four Cup to the league title they won last month.
Baysie defeated rivals Olympic Kingsway 2-1 in Saturday's final at the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Matty Sparrow's side went ahead after 17 minutes when they were awarded a penalty following a handball by Harley Orr from Chris Jackson’s header. Pat Loughrey saw his spot-kick well saved by Adrian Sinagra, before Sean McManus followed in and squared for Loughrey to bundle the ball over the line.
As expected for a final between the two best teams in the competition, it was a to-and-fro affair with Baysie keeper Lewis Italiano pulling off an outstanding one-handed save from Joe Hobson.
Olympic, who had captain Mitch Oxborrow dismissed for a second yellow card, equalised 20 minutes from time when Will Richards fired past Italiano from the edge of the area.
However, the extra man told in the end and Bayswater snatched a late winner when Gordon Smith glanced home Jonathan Corness’ fine ball in.
It was Corness who won the Gary Marocchi Medal as player of the match, while Olympic ended the match with nine players after Aryn Williams, who had taken over the captaincy after Oxborrow’s sending-off, also collected a second yellow.
Perth Glory completed a dominant season as they added the NPLM U23s Top Four Cup to the league title and Reserves State Cup on Saturday.
Glory won an entertaining game 4-2 against Olympic Kingsway, the side they pipped for the league on goal difference and knocked out of the State Cup on penalties.
Glory led 2-0 at the break thanks to Cristiano Farfan’s terrific free-kick and Damien Jallah’s side-footed finish. Scott Webster reduced the arrears when he converted Jake Devey’s fizzing cross, only for Ollie Evans to quickly restore Glory’s two-goal buffer when he dinked the ball over Kristian Rasano.
Webster forced in his and Olympic’s second from Tom Sallis’ corner in stoppage time, before Glory sealed the win when Achnaff Sayon raced through for the fourth.
Bayswater City avenged their recent U18s State Cup final loss to Perth RedStar with a 1-0 win over the same opponents in the NPLM U18s Top Four Cup final.
The only goal was scored early in the second half, as Luca Schuetz was left unattended to head in Hadi Hussaini’s free-kick.
League champions RedStar came close to levelling when the acrobatic Aaron Mukundu saw his overhead kick brilliantly pushed on to the bar by Baysie goalkeeper Nikola Ergic. Then in stoppage time, RedStar keeper Jayden Ispiroglu went up for a corner but unfortunately had an air shot two yards out when any sort of contact would have sent the ball into the net.
